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The official website of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council

Comprehensive Plan

One of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council’s (Council) primary responsibilities is to develop a Comprehensive Plan to restore the ecosystem and the economy of the Gulf Coast region. The Council approved an Initial Comprehensive Plan in August 2013, which provided a framework to implement a coordinated, Gulf Coast region-wide restoration effort in a way that restores, protects and revitalizes the Gulf Coast.

On December 16, 2016, the Council voted to approve an update to its 2013 Comprehensive Plan. This update provides important additional strategic guidance for the Council to follow as it makes decisions on funding projects and activities aimed at restoring the Gulf of Mexico. For additional information on the meeting to approve this update, please click here.

All public comments received, the Council's response to public comments and summaries of public meeetings on the Draft Comprehensive Plan Update can be found on the Public Input page.

The Comprehensive Plan Update is intended to improve Council decisions by:

Reinforcing the Council’s goals and objectives;

Setting forth an initial Ten-Year Funding Strategy

Establishing the Council’s vision for Gulf restoration;

Increasing collaboration among Council members and partner restoration programs;

Providing for advancement of large-scale projects and programs;

Refining the process for ensuring that the Council’s decisions are informed by the best available science; and

Improving the efficiency, effectiveness and transparency of Council actions.

The Council is updating its Initial Comprehensive Plan now in order to take into account recent developments in Gulf restoration such as the resolution of civil claims against BP for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a source of future funding for the Council’s projects. The update also captures important public input and lessons learned from the process of developing and approving its Initial Funded Priorities List (FPL), its first slate of restoration activities to be funded through the RESTORE Act, and positions the Council to make the most effective use of future funds as they become available beginning in 2017.